Carpet beetle larvae are the form of beetles that comes between the egg stage and the adult stage of their growth cycle. Larvae are basically immature carpet beetles which have come out of their eggs and are now looking to feed. Their food preference includes all kinds of fabrics and dead insects. If you have cotton, wool, or other natural fibrous items in your home, then they will likely get damaged if you have a carpet beetle larvae infestation.

Carpet beetle larvae are usually oval-shaped and can get up to 8 millimeters long, depending on which carpet beetle species it is. Do not forget that there are more than 200 different carpet beetle species out there. However, only a few of them actually infest our homes. You can expect their color to be brown while having stripes over them that are white and light brown. Their backs have very coarse hairs which make them easy to identify as being larvae.

Top 10 Simple Tips

Larvae are mostly active during the fall season. This is due to the adult carpet beetles laying their eggs inside your home during the summer. It is always best to stop the adult carpet beetles before they lay their eggs. But if you failed to do this and now have carpet beetle larvae in your home, you need to remove them right away.

Follow the 10 tips below if you want to know how to get rid of carpet beetle larvae from your home.

1) Alcohol – Alcohol is used as both a carpet beetle larvae repellent and a pesticide. If you spray an area with alcohol, it will make larvae not want to go there. If you spray the alcohol on the larvae, it will target their bodily cells and destroy them.

2) Cider Vinegar – Cider vinegar is a great way to kill larvae without damaging your home with chemicals. It is actually a natural pesticide which also works as a carpet cleaner. So, you could clean your carpet with cider vinegar and kill larvae at the same time.

3) Neem Oil – Neem oils will kill larvae, but it does it in a different way than other natural pesticides and oils. When neem oil gets into the body of the larvae, their hormonal system will stop functioning properly. This causes them to stop looking for food which ultimately leads to their death.

4) Dry Cleaning – The extreme heat from dry cleaning will kill any larvae that have infested your clothes. This is a great alternative for those who don’t want to steam clean with detergent.

5) Boric Acid – Place powdery boric acid in locations of your home which normally have larvae infestations. It kills larvae while remaining less toxic to people.

6) Freezing – Larvae cannot survive in freezing temperatures. If you have larvae that like to chew on the fabric of your clothes, put those clothes in the freezer for 2 days and then take them back out. Use plastic bags to store your clothes when you do this.

7) Eucalyptus Oil – This essential oil can kill and repel larvae. Put this on your clothes and in places where infestations are normal. The aroma will deter the larvae from wanting to go there.

8) Vodka & Oil – You can make your own carpet beetle larvae spray with some vodka and 10 drops of either clove oil or peppermint oil. Mix the solution and then spray it on the natural fibers which larvae are attracted to.

9)Diatomaceous Earth – Sprinkle some diatomaceous earth (food grade kind) on your rug and carpet. Food grade will ensure that your pets won’t get harmed by it. When larvae come in contact with diatomaceous earth, they will lose their moisture and become scorched.

10) Cedar Oil – Cedar oil has the ability to dissolve larvae entirely. It does this by emulsifying the fat cells of their body which results in their death. You can put cedar oil on furniture, rugs, clothing, and anywhere else you think that larvae will go.